You’ll have to excuse me for being a little slow with posting today. See, I found this really good race writeup about this really great race, and I got caught up in it. You should check it out: Parts one, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, ten, and eleven.

Oh, did I forget to mention that this is a story I wrote? About last year’s Rockwell Relay? Silly me.

And you ought to come race it. This year. More to the point, you ought to sign up today. Cuz if you do, as team captain you’ll score an extremely awesome Fat Cyclist / Rockwell Relay jersey:

What Is The Rockwell Relay?

For those of you who don’t know what the Rockwell Relay is, allow me to encourage you to go read my race report (yes, all eleven installments). Or watch this beautiful video (see how many Team Fatty sitings you can identify) to see the kind of incredible terrain you’ll see.

But here’s the short version.

The Rockwell Relay is a 520-mile road bike relay race along the backroads from Moab, Utah to Saint George, Utah. Each team is made of four people, each of which takes turns racing specific segments of the course. Segment lengths vary, but are generally 40-50 miles long. The rider order stays the same throughout the race, and you take turns being the racer, the driver (unless you’ve got a dedicated driver), and the support crew (unless you’ve got a dedicated crew).

It’s intense. It’s fun. It’s brutally hard. It’s exciting.

It’s beautiful.

It is — completely honestly and truly — my very favorite cycling event.

So, clear your calendar for the weekend of June 13 – 14. I’ll grill you a bratwurst.

We’ll hang out, and then we’ll race.

It will be a weekend you never ever forget.

Sign Up Now

Because I love this event so much, I’ll be talking about it more in the next little while. And I’ll be encouraging you to sign up. Because I’d love to see as many Friends of Fatty do this race as possible.

And because I love this race so much, I’ve partnered up with the Rockwell Relay guys. If you sign a team up by the end of this month (February), the captain of your team will get a very nice Rockwell Relay / Fat Cyclist jersey, made by DNA Cycling. And these guys make very nice jerseys. Nice enough that the other three people on your team will want to get one too — and at only $60 / jersey, that’s about the best deal you’ll ever get on a DNA jersey.

For the past three years in a row, Team Fatty — Kenny, Heather, The Hammer, and me — have won the coed division. We intend to win it again.

That said, our cumulative age this year will be 189 (that’s an average age of 47.25, and our youngest rider will be 45). And while a coed team can be three men and one woman, we always have — and always will — race in the true spirit of co-ededness: two women and two men. And we always have been — and always will be — a self-supported team.

So if you’re going to come after us, you may want to take those things into account as you build your team. You know, so you don’t blow us out of the water too badly.

28 Comments

We had so much fun last year we sign up again Yann, Steve B, Chris D. and I. This is really a fun event through some of the most breath taking scenery you could hope for. It would be great to see many more team fatty’s this year, Greg C. are you coming this year?

You can’t imagine how much I want to do this thing. Which is sad, really, because at the moment, I can’t ride at all. And I’m staring my 60th birthday right in the face. In fact, I’ll be 60 years and 5 days on the first day of this year’s Rockwell Relay.

Oh well. I’ll still read every race report as if I’d been there myself!

I wish. It’s always the wrong time of year for me. I can’t depart during finals and grading. Instead, I’ll be racing locally for the first time as a licensed racer in the great state of Oregon. Gotta find something to do now that we don’t have Davis.

@ZEETER! If your in I’m sure I can convince Wife#1 (definitely something sparkly, or that 68 camaro she saw required….or both?)
Mark in Bremerton expressed interest last year,
Noodle are you game?
AngieG, you know if you go the Chapeks are a slam dunk!
Leigh Anne Davis?
Levi(?) I choose him, in a wig, as our ringer.
Others????

Just reread your ‘boast about age’. Pretty sure if I can get MarkinBremerton onboard we would almost be 2/3 of your total with the first two riders. Probably the ONLY thing I could beat you at. That and basketball.

Still a great read, and on my list! Unfortunately, my early interest for this year got preempted by a little less strenuous bike ride in Vienna (Austria), along with a visit to my kid there. I’ll be lurking and enjoying, though.

@WhartonCrew
Moab can’t be much farther from Texas than California. Since MarkB will be out drinking beer and eating strudel and singing about ‘lively hills of music’ you are officially invited to join the team not yet named…or coalesced.

So, apparently I’m not old enough for Team PieSTRONG, and I’m probably not fast enough either, but after reading the amazing epic of Fatty’s 2013 Rockwell Relay, I have not stopped thinking about what a life-changing experience this race would be.

If you find team PieSTRONG in need of a member, while I’m not near 60, I do have up to date insurance.

Diane- is the insurance still up to date, and Clydesteve now that you’ve had a year to think about it……..????

I’m reaching out to a couple of SoCal friends to see what we can arrange, but I have to say a) I’m getting the same stomach reaction to this that I got on my first Century at Davis, which is a great feeling and b) based on Fatty’s write-ups it has to be done doesn’t it!?

I wish. This is right after my birthday, but we’re facing a move across states (to Utah, actually!) in July so any extraneous travel is out this year. That includes races for the husband and me. *sniff*

Definitely the most fun I’ve ever had in the course of 36 hours (ok, so we were slow). Doing it again this year, but what if we’ve already signed up? It goes to show just how motivating the eleven part saga was.

Oh man, I would LOVE to be on a team doing this but this year I get back from a 3 week vacation earlier that week so wouldn’t be able to get MORE time off work and wouldn’t be in biking shape. Maybe next year. I’m not fast but I’m stubborn and I don’t give up and I love to ride my bike. Of course, I don’t even start riding my bike until mid April due to snow so it could be hard to get training in. Although cross country skiing is great aerobic training also.

Same race new team. Unfortunately, I’d love a coed team to give you guys a run for your money, but alas not. Happy to be a part of this cool race again. This year the team (Friend is Friend – homage to Rwanda National Cycling Team) will be competing in the competitive group. I’ll take a large in the jersey since our team is already signed up. Awesome jersey.

I have been reading “fatty’s blog” for over a year now but this is my first ever comment. . . kind of scary!
What if we have already registered for this year???
I guess no jersey for us early risers? I have always been told that the early bird gets the . . . I guess I have been mislead all these years :(

For you fence sitters, we did this ride last year for the first time and had a BLAST! (even though we came in dead last) we are a “true” co-ed, “self supported” team with a median age of 51.75 (207 cumulative years) and we are working hard this year, we have been talking, discussing, planning, and getting the logistics ironed out about what to do differently as we look forward to finishing before dark this year. . . We will see you there, and of course we are looking forward to the Brats :)